Our FAQs
For more information, Email us at FreedomSchool@protonmail.com, call or text 360-329-2816, or sign up to attend an Information Meeting (on Zoom or in person) here.
How do I find out if this school will be a good fit for my child(ren)?
Every child is unique and learns in their own time and fashion. Think about how differently each child learns to roll over, walk and talk: and how no child ever gives up on mastering those skills. Self-governing Sudbury schools definitively show that the drive to master skills essential for successful participation in society persists in ALL children: your child too! Children with IEP's and 504 plans for learning-related health conditions THRIVE in Sudbury model schools. As an example, Sudbury Valley School has operated for over 50 years, accepts ALL students who apply, and has NEVER encountered a student who wasn't able to teach themselves to read proficiently!
Where will the school be located?
Initially, we will open as a homeschool, following the path of Clearwater School in Bothell (which is a self-governing unschooling school similar to Freedom School). Our intention is to only operate as a homeschool for one year before transitioning to become a private school with a permanent location. As a homeschool group, we will meet at a location decided by the founding group of parents and students. This may be a daylight basement, a lakeside cabin, or even a park with a shelter! However, this location WILL BE in Gig Harbor or Tacoma.
As the founding parents and students, you get to discuss in detail, and then vote on your preferred available location. During the first year of operation, we'll be searching for a permanent location in the Gig Harbor/Tacoma area.
What will the tuition costs be?
We intend to keep costs as low as possible, and anticipate (based on other Sudbury model schools) that tuition will be significantly lower than other local private schools. We can't give you an exact number, as the decision about what to charge will be made by the enrolled students, their parents, and the school staff, before the start of each school year.
Our first year might be the exception, as we'll be starting as a homeschool and thus won't have significant overhead costs. At this time (April 2021) our intention is to charge only enough to pay our staff and to have a little extra to buy supplies, while asking for donations to build up our budget. So in our first year the cost will depend only on the number of students and the number of paid staff. Keep in mind though, that this will be a SELF-GOVERNING school, where all decisions are made by students and staff, and those very important decisions regarding school operation are made by students, staff AND parents. Ultimately, first year tuition will depend on what the founding student/parent/staff group decides.
How will my child get into a college or university without a transcript?
First of all, they WILL get into their first or second choice university, based on the track record of Sudbury Valley School and other Sudbury model schools. The path they take to getting in to university may vary, depending on their choices over the years. For example, some students find amazing, long-term apprenticeships for their last few years of school, and this greatly aids their acceptance into university. Other children get serious about acing the SATs and other college entrance exams, and spend months of self-guided and self-motivated study. Others opt for writing and defending a portfolio outlining why they are prepared to be a contributing adult. ALL students graduating from self-governing schools spend time writing exemplary college admission essays, that truly stand out from students from traditional schools, both in depth and breadth of experiences during their learning journey through school. Finally, students who graduate from Sudbury model schools have had many years of practicing truly advocating for themselves, and have no hesitation in making sure the college admissions staff know who they are! Rest assured, college admission (even to Ivy-league universities) is something that students from Sudbury schools accomplish every single year, and have been doing for over 60 years.
Why should I pay to send my child to Freedom School when I can just unschool them at home for free?
There are significant advantages to being at a self-governing school that your child will not be able to experience at home. This is not an exhaustive list!
There will be many other children of various ages at school. This gives your child access to the ideas and passions of many other people (students and staff), gives them opportunities to be a learner or a teacher of others, and ensures that they are NEVER bored!
They will have access to supplies and opportunities that would be difficult to achieve at home. When a child requests materials, supplies, or other resources in order to pursue their interests, Freedom School will organize/purchase what they require. For example, Sudbury Valley School has, over the years, provided materials for students to pursue leatherworking, photography, cooking, pottery, raising goats and chickens, fishing, music recording, and many others, and has facilitated countless apprenticeships and field trips for students. Freedom School will provide what your child needs to pursue their passions.
There is a culture that develops at a self-governing school that is uniquely conducive to learning. Existing self-governing schools try to explain this by giving many examples, but the bottom line is that it is a CULTURE, and unless you are in it another culture is very difficult to truly grasp. Imagine you asked a Brazilian person to describe their culture: you might be given many examples of things that are unique or different in Brazil, but you really can’t fully comprehend the Brazilian culture unless you go to Brazil and live there for a while. Self-governing schools are the same! The unique culture nurtures learning and growing like no other environment can.
My child loves sports. How will they participate in sports at a small and new school?
I can only answer this with certainty for the first year (or two) of Freedom School. We will initially be opening as a homeschool, and according to WA homeschool laws, homeschoolers may join in any of their local high school's extra-curricular activities. In addition, a homeschooled student may opt in to courses they're interested in at the local high school. For example, your child may take pottery or computer programming classes, or AP History, or any course they have a passion for that's offered at their local high school.
Once Freedom School transitions to becoming a private school, things become a little less certain. Students MAYÂ be allowed to participate in public school sports IF their private school doesn't offer them that opportunity.